"That's so unfair!"
"If Kinue gets to be called 'nee-san,' then we're just 'sensei'!"
Tsukuyomi Komoe suddenly piped up from beside them. Douraku Utage, catching on the moment Komoe said it, immediately joined in.
"That's not acceptable — Kagami-kun needs to treat everyone equally!"
"We want to be called 'nee-san' too."
"That might be a bit awkward, though — Moe-sensei and Utage-sensei really are my teachers, after all."
"It's summer break right now, isn't it? This isn't work hours."
"So what, Kagami-kun only has a soft spot for Kinue?"
Komoe-sensei finished speaking and immediately puffed out her lower lip, tears welling at the corners of her eyes as she turned her glistening gaze on Tsushima Kagami.
"You little brat — are you looking down on us?!"
Douraku Utage leaned in at the same moment, fixing Tsushima Kagami with a sharp stare.
"N-No, nothing like that — I have a great deal of respect for both of you, sensei."
Tsushima Kagami's head was starting to ache. How had a simple breakfast turned into this?
Actually — wait. Why was he eating breakfast here at all? He'd already eaten. What had he even come here for?
"Now, now — you mustn't speak to Kagami-kun like that."
"He's probably just being shy."
"Let's give Kagami-kun a little encouragement!"
With that, Hayase Kinue took both Komoe-sensei's and Utage-sensei's hands in hers — and together, all three formed a ring around the kneeling Tsushima Kagami.
The three of them began circling him, laughing as they chanted in unison.
"Say 'nee-san'~! Say 'nee-san'~! Say 'nee-san'~!"
Tsushima Kagami watched the three adorable figures spinning around him.
Well... calling one of them isn't any different from calling all three.
Besides — 'nee-san' isn't 'mom.' It's fine.
"Alright, alright — you're making me dizzy."
The three of them stopped. They looked at him expectantly.
Tsushima Kagami looked back at all three of them, dipped his head slightly, and spoke.
"Moe-nee-san."
"Utage-nee-san."
"And Kinue-nee-san."
"Thank you for breakfast."
"Yay!"
All three threw their joined hands into the air and cheered.
"Alright — now that that's settled, there's something I actually needed to talk about."
Tsushima Kagami turned to Hayase Kinue.
"Oh? Something serious?"
Komoe-sensei glanced over at Douraku Utage curiously.
Douraku Utage shook her head.
"Didn't Kagami-kun come just to hang out with us?"
Hayase Kinue tilted her head and tapped her lips thoughtfully.
"Come to think of it, I suppose he did mention something like that."
Then she turned to look at Tsushima Kagami.
"So — what is it?"
Tsushima Kagami finally got to the point.
"I'm looking to move out of Bunkyo Ward and find a place closer to school."
"So I thought of Kinue-nee-san — and figured I'd come ask if there might be anything suitable around here."
"Oh!"
"Kagami-kun wants to live here?!"
Hayase Kinue pressed both hands over her mouth in astonishment.
Komoe-sensei and Douraku Utage immediately latched onto either arm of Tsushima Kagami, voices bright with excitement.
"Then we'd be commuting together every day..."
"Well — commuting to school, I mean!"
Tsushima Kagami looked at the three of them and nodded with a smile.
"If there's a suitable room, that would be the situation, yes."
"There is! There is!"
Hayase Kinue sprang to her feet at once.
Komoe-sensei and Douraku Utage grabbed Tsushima Kagami by the arms, hauled him up, and began pushing him toward the door.
"Come on, come on — let's go look at the room!"
The four of them made their way up to the second floor of the apartment building. Beyond the two innermost rooms occupied by Douraku Utage and Komoe-sensei, there were two rooms facing south and two facing west.
"Kagami-kun, you really did come to the right person."
"This building isn't just quiet — it gets wonderful light, and Kinue-nee-san's place is a good deal larger than anything else you'd find around here."
"And the rent is cheap — no key money either~"
Komoe-sensei helpfully elaborated from beside them.
Tsushima Kagami looked around and nodded. The courtyard alone put so much distance between this building and its neighbors that naturally the sunlight would be excellent.
"So why is it just the three of you living here, with so many rooms still empty?"
At that, Hayase Kinue stepped up to the door of one of the rooms, produced a key ring, and smiled.
"Well — a tenant's character matters too, you know."
"I tend to go by instinct — gut feeling."
"I never put up vacancy notices or anything like that."
"So the rooms just... stayed empty."
Tsushima Kagami nodded slowly. He was beginning to understand. It seemed Hayase Kinue was the sort of person who had no need to worry about money.
As she spoke, Hayase Kinue unlocked one of the south-facing rooms and swung the door open. They all filed inside.
Just past the entrance was a proper entryway — and from the entryway alone, it was already clear that this was larger than a standard apartment unit. To the right of the entrance was a kitchen counter and stovetop; to the left, a separated bathroom and washroom.
Beyond the entryway was a standard single room with a small balcony outside. However, what should have been the bedroom had been furnished more like a living room.
On the right side of the room was another door. Hayase Kinue walked over and pushed it open.
Beyond it, the space connected to an adjacent unit — divided into two compact bedrooms on either side, with a bathroom at the far end between them.
It was clearly two units that had been converted into a miniature 2LDK. Smaller than the Bunkyo Ward apartment, but not by a little — by quite a bit.
"So — it's not huge, but it'd be livable enough for two people, wouldn't it?"
"Better than cramming two people into a single room, at least."
Hayase Kinue smiled as she said it.
"Yes, yes — please stay here!"
"Yes, yes — we'll even drive you both to school!"
Komoe-sensei and Douraku Utage each took one of Tsushima Kagami's hands and shook it eagerly.
Tsushima Kagami turned a slow circle, taking in the room — then looked at Hayase Kinue.
"It really is quite nice."
"The only thing is — I don't actually need a room for two."
He said it slowly, almost to himself.
All three women tilted their heads at him simultaneously, asking in perfect unison.
"Hm? Aren't you and Shizuku moving here together?"
"Yes!"
All four heads turned at once toward the voice in the doorway.
There stood Yukinoshita Shizuku — dressed simply in casual clothes, her hair loose and slightly disheveled. A few strands clung damply to the corner of her mouth where sweat had caught them, and her chest was rising and falling in soft, quick breaths.
When her breathing steadied, she raised a hand and smoothed the stray hairs away from her lips. Then she walked in at an unhurried pace, took Tsushima Kagami's arm — still standing there in a daze — and led him on a slow circuit of the room, taking in the layout from every angle.
Finally, she looked at him.
"I think this one's perfect."
"No need to keep looking."
"What do you think, Kagami?"
"O... okay."
"Then... then this one it is."
Yukinoshita Shizuku smiled — and turned to Hayase Kinue.
"Kinue-san, we'll take this room."
"We'll be in your care from now on — and in Moe-sensei's and Utage-sensei's as well."
With that, Yukinoshita Shizuku gave a small, proper bow to the three of them.
Then she turned back to Tsushima Kagami — still standing there in a daze — and gave his hand a light tug.
He blinked back to life.
"Ah... yes. In your care."
"Please take care of us."
Then he felt his hand tugged again.
"Right, right — bow!"
And so Tsushima Kagami bowed alongside Yukinoshita Shizuku, the two of them dipping their heads together toward the three women.
Hayase Kinue, Komoe-sensei, and Douraku Utage all let out a delighted cheer in unison.
At that, Hayase Kinue put forward a new suggestion.
"Since it's decided — why not move everything over today?"
"Me, me, me! My car's big!"
"I'll drive you back to pick up your things!"
Douraku Utage volunteered at once.
Komoe-sensei chimed in after her.
"Then Kinue-nee-san and I will go to the supermarket and get ingredients — let's have a little party tonight~"
Late that night — with the help of the three of them, everything from the Bunkyo Ward apartment had been moved over and fully arranged before dinner. Afterward, all five ate together at Hayase Kinue's place, and then each drifted back to their own rooms.
Tsushima Kagami was still holding Yukino's little cat bed, trying to decide where in the living room it should go.
At that moment, the door to the adjacent room opened, and Yukinoshita Shizuku stepped out — wearing a snow-white silk chiffon slip dress, her hair loose around her shoulders.
Tsushima Kagami turned to look. Then his brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth — and stopped.
Yukinoshita Shizuku drifted over to stand beside him, smiling.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing, it's just..."
"Just... doesn't it feel a little thin? A little... transparent?"
In the lamplight, the silhouette beneath the slip dress was rendered in flawless, unmistakable detail — and Tsushima Kagami found he couldn't quite keep the words to himself.
And also...
How short is this?
Her — is practically showing already!
Actually no — what's already showing, clear as day through what might as well be no skirt at all, is her underwear.
White, with a little pale-purple bow.
Yukinoshita Shizuku, for her part, walked with curious composure over to the full-length mirror Hayase Kinue had thoughtfully left in the living room. She faced her reflection, gave a slow, light turn — then watched Tsushima Kagami's reflection in the mirror as she tilted her head.
"I think it looks fine."
"Maybe you're just being oversensitive?"
"Ah — is that it?"
"Maybe I... maybe I am being oversensitive."
With that settled — at least out loud — Tsushima Kagami moved to set Yukino's little bed down beside the full-length mirror.
At that moment, Yukinoshita Shizuku looked at him again, still smiling.
"Besides — even if it really is transparent, it's fine."
"It's just the two of us here, after all."
"And we're siblings, aren't we."
"Ah — does being siblings make it okay?"
"Of course it does. That's just normal between siblings."
Yukinoshita Shizuku nodded as she spoke — and tapped the tip of Tsushima Kagami's nose with her finger.
Tsushima Kagami scratched the back of his head.
"I'm starting to think I don't have a very firm grasp on what 'normal siblings' looks like."
Yukinoshita Shizuku withdrew her finger, clasped her hands behind her back, and turned to settle herself on the sofa. Yukino promptly leapt up onto her lap, and she stroked the cat as she smiled.
"You'll understand eventually."
Tsushima Kagami laughed and sat down beside her.
"Well then, dear Nee-san — you could've just said from the start that you didn't want me to move out."
"Feels like we went to all that trouble for nothing."
Yukinoshita Shizuku looked gently down at Yukino in her lap, still smiling.
"I never said I didn't want you to move. So why would I have stopped you?"
"I simply moved along with you. That's all."
"And besides — moving to an apartment closer to school is genuinely convenient."
"Cuts down on commute time considerably."
"And you get to sleep in a little longer. Isn't that a win?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku turned her head and smiled at him.
Tsushima Kagami nodded.
"You know, when you put it like that, it does make a lot of sense."
"And by the way..."
Yukinoshita Shizuku gently set Yukino down onto Tsushima Kagami's lap, stood up, and stretched with a long, languid yawn — then looked at him.
"Did you think I actually wanted to be crammed in here together with you?"
"It's Mother — she keeps going on about how great authors are prone to psychological strain."
"And there are already plenty of reader comments on your Shayo saying the author seems to have certain self-destructive tendencies."
"So Mother said someone needs to keep an eye on you."
"A mother's love truly is something else."
Tsushima Kagami laughed.
"Hmph — you only ever remember Mother's good points!"
"I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to sleep!"
Yukinoshita Shizuku said her piece — then walked to the door of her room, hand resting on the handle. She paused there, turned back to look at Tsushima Kagami sitting on the sofa, and bent forward in a small, graceful bow.
"Please continue to take good care of me, Tsushima-kun."
Tsushima Kagami startled — then caught himself. He rose from the sofa, smiling, and gave a bow of his own in return.
"Likewise. Please continue to take good care of me, Yukinoshita."
They both straightened at the same time. Their eyes met, and they shared a quiet smile — and then Yukinoshita Shizuku stepped through the door into her room.
Tsushima Kagami stood where he was for a long moment.
Then his expression shifted.
Oh no.
This afternoon, Shizuku had been in here with Moe-sensei and Utage-sensei sorting out the room. He himself had been helping Kinue-nee-san prepare the food for the evening get-together.
Which meant...
My cup!
Tsushima Kagami moved quickly to the sofa, grabbed the backpack he'd been carrying since yesterday, yanked the zipper open, and began pulling out his clothes one by one.
When the bag was empty, he still didn't believe it. He shoved his hand in and groped around every corner.
Gone.
At that moment, Yukinoshita Shizuku's voice drifted through from the other room.
"Your [Mrs. Reiko]is under your bed."
Behind her closed door, Yukinoshita Shizuku sat with both hands pressed flat against her blazing cheeks.
After a long, long moment, she reached down and lifted the hem of her slip dress, glancing at it again.
Then she balled both hands into fists — quietly, fiercely steeling herself — and murmured under her breath.
"Mother — I'll do this even better than you did."
____
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